


Meet Me in the Goddess Tower

by whaleandjanuary



Category: Fire Emblem: Fuukasetsugetsu | Fire Emblem: Three Houses
Genre: Crack Treated Seriously, F/M, Fire Emblem: Three Houses Blue Lions Route Spoilers, M/M, Marriage Proposal, Not Beta Read, Spoilers for Goddess Tower conversations, Spoilers for S-Rank conversations
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-05-01
Updated: 2020-05-01
Packaged: 2021-02-23 03:57:40
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,863
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/23938702
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/whaleandjanuary/pseuds/whaleandjanuary
Summary: Dearest Professor,says the note.I was wondering if you would meet me at the Goddess Tower shortly before dawn. I have something to ask you. And I thought we could watch the sunrise.The note is unsigned.
Relationships: Blue Lions Students & My Unit | Byleth, Blue Lions Students/My Unit | Byleth, other - Relationship
Comments: 15
Kudos: 40





	Meet Me in the Goddess Tower

**Author's Note:**

> 1.) You know the last time I wrote fanfic? The _first_ time Final Fantasy VII came out. 
> 
> 2.) The whole joke of this fic is "who ends up together" but I know sometimes people have serious NOTPs. Here are the actual pairings run through ROT-13, if you need to check: 
> 
> Flyinva/Qbebgurn  
> Qvzvgev/Qrqhr  
> Nfur/Zreprqrf  
> Sryvk/Olyrgu
> 
> 3.) I have read something like three hundred FE3H fics in the last six months, and I live in terror that I read something cool, committed it to memory, and forgot the source was not my own brain. If you read something in this and say "hey that's mine!" please for the love of god tell me and I will edit the fic. 
> 
> Relatedly, I don't _think_ there are a bunch of fics with this premise, but if there are I hope this feels more like "hey two cakes" and less like "this has been done before."

Sylvain leaned against the stones in the Goddess Tower and looked out at the sky. It was getting lighter, finally. Maybe fifteen minutes before dawn? He'd been alternating pacing and sitting for at least an hour, simultaneously too nervous to sleep and too exhausted to _do_ anything. He was also kind of cold. He shook out his hands, again, trying to ignore his "She's definitely going reject you," thoughts in favor of his "You've got this" thoughts. 

Footsteps. Finally, finally there were footsteps. Finally she was coming. Sylvain braced himself against the window's edge, trying to keep his face steady and his breathing even. He couldn't yet make himself turn towards the stairs. Byleth was coming, and he would tell her his feelings and hopefully - no definitely, she would - 

Those were the wrong footsteps. 

They were too heavy, and instead of the _click_ of a heel there was the _clink_ of armor. Of course. The Kingdom's worst sleeper, out on a late night walk, and of all the places for him to wander - 

"Sylvain?" 

Definitely, unfortunately, the prince. 

Sylvain turned, one hand on his hip, easy, easy, so light and normal. "Your Majesty! Well, I guess it's 'Highness' for a few hours still. How are you?" 

Dimitri gave a very specific sigh. "Sylvain, please. I am going to hear my title more times than I can possibly stand today. You are one of my oldest friends. _Please_ call me Dimitri." 

Sylvain laughed. It was not unkind, but there was no humor in it. He had to get Dimitri elsewhere before Byleth showed up and they started talking _politics_ or something. "All right. Dimitri. Out for a walk? You should really try to get some sleep! It's going to be a long day and it would be quite a story if the king fell asleep at his own coronation." 

Dimitri shook his head. "I am not tired, Sylvain."

"Well, if you're looking to pass the time before you need to get ready, there's a new pastry shop in the marketplace. They have miniature croissants that are - " 

"This is where I was coming, Sylvain." Hm. Dimitri cutting someone off was unusual. He also kept looking towards the stairs. Sylvain realized Dimitri seemed _nervous_. "I am - I'm meeting someone here." 

Fuck. So much for getting rid of him quietly. Sylvain laughed again, slightly higher pitched, which was _not_ on purpose. "Well! That's funny! I'm also meeting - " 

"Sylvain?" said a new voice. 

_Is anyone going to let me finish a sent -_ Dedue?! _How did he - I didn't even hear him come up the stairs._

Dedue looked surprised to see them both, which was fair. Also mutual. "Your Majes - Your High - Dimitri?" he finally settled on. 

"Dedue? Did you follow me here?" 

"No," said Dedue, shaking his head and crossing his arms. "No, I came here of my own accord."

_Are Dedue and Dimitri here to see each other?_ Sylvain thought, wildly. _No, no. That doesn't make any sense. They're surprised to see each other. They can't. No. But Dedue would - no._

Sylvain walked forward and clapped his hands. "Ok, uh, it's great to see you but I have an appointment, so could you chat somewhere else?" 

Dimitri gave him a sharp expression that Sylvain was not expecting. "Sylvain. I am meeting the Professor here." 

_Wow, that ice-falling-into-your-stomach feeling they talk about in stories is real. Who could have guessed?_

Dedue raised an eyebrow. "You are meeting the professor here." 

Sylvain remembered how to breathe. "Wait, no. _I'm_ meeting - did you coordinate this with her?" 

Dimitri glanced downward, embarrassed. "No, um, I left her a note asking her to meet me here." 

_He left her a note?_ I _left her a note. Did I sign my note? Did I SIGN MY FUCKING NOTE?_

Dedue inhaled, very slowly. "You are ... both here to meet the Professor." 

There was a sudden burst of laughter from below. Two voices, a loud but garbled conversation bubbling up into a fit of laughs. _Is_ that _the Professor? But who is she with?_

"Hello?" called Dimitri. 

Ashe and Mercedes appeared, animatedly talking to each other. "Oh, uh, hello! Dedue! Your Highness. Sylvain. How are you all?"

"Oh my," said Mercedes. "Are you having a party? We didn't interrupt a meeting, did we? Ashe and I were just saying how funny it was that we were both trying to meet with Professor Byleth at the same place and time!" 

Everyone started talking, rapidly. 

"There must be some kind of miscommunication," said Dimitri. " _I'm_ meeting with the professor."

"Well," said Ashe. "I suppose I may not be meeting with the professor. I left a note about watching the sunrise but I possibly shouldn't have assumed she'd get it!" 

Mercedes laughed again. " _I_ left a note about watching the sunrise too!"

"When did you leave these notes? And where?" asked Dedue. 

"No, this is a mistake. This has to be a mistake." Dimitri was vibrating slightly. "I am meeting with the Professor and I have to ask her something _very important_ and I have to talk to her _alone_ and you all need to _leave_ and ..."

_Seiros's left tit how has this happened?_

"Stop. Everybody stop," shouted Sylvain, bringing up his hands. "Ok. Listen to me." Everyone stilled, and he continued. "We can do this with a minimum of confusion. You all. Everybody. Raise your hand if you're _not_ here to meet with the professor."

No hands. Ashe looked slightly confused, but the look on Dedue's face said he was drawing the same conclusion as Sylvain. 

Sylvain sighed, deeply and with resignation. "Ok. Ok. Now raise your hand if you're not here to _propose_ to the professor." 

Dimitri startled, looking around. "What - " 

Everyone else shared a look. Sylvain stared at Mercedes, who rapidly looked back and forth a few times and then slowly raised a hand. 

Sylvain shook his head. "Really?" 

"Yes, really!" said Mercedes. "I was going to ask her to come with me to Fhirdiad and provide moral support. I'm going to tell my adoptive father I'm joining the church and not getting married." 

"Good for you!" said Ashe, nodding. 

"Congratulations," said Dedue. "That took courage. I know it must have been been hard for you to make that decision."

"Thank you! So Sylvain, I really wasn't going to propose!" Mercedes was, however, starting to blush. "Of course, if a romance happened to blossom on the road, I ... I ... well, maybe I hoped ..." 

"All right. So we've established that we do all, at some level, want to bang the professor," Sylvain continued, ignoring whatever embarrassed protest was coming from Dimitri. "I knew it was something of a reach on my part, but hope springs eternal. Also I'm very charming. But are any of _you_ secretly in a relationship with her? As far as I knew the professor was single. Were we all just hoping?" 

Mercedes frowned and shook her head. Dedue crossed his arms and shook his head as well, looking at the floor. "We have spent a lot of time in the gardens, but I cannot say we are 'in a relationship'." 

"She just seemed so friendly every time we had tea," said Ashe. 

"She held my hand. We _held hands_." Dimitri was staring at his gloves. Sylvain could see Dimitri trying to cling to this detail. Sylvain shared a glance with Dedue and pointed at himself as if to say _I have this one._

"Hey, hey. Dimitri." Sylvain put a hand on his shoulder. "It sounds like we all made the same mistake. And look - this proves you really are just like the rest of us." Dimitri barked out a laugh. He nodded.

Sylvain stepped back. "I hate to keep twisting the knife." (Partially true. He didn't want to hurt his friends but couldn't resist poking around his own ravaged insides.) "... but I have one last question. Did any of us, literally any of us, actually _talk_ to the professor about meeting here?" 

Four other faces flashed through various stages of sadness and shame, settling on "glum", "mortified", "disbelieving", and "resigned".

"Wow," said Ashe. "We are pretty foolish, aren't we?" 

Dimitri sank to the floor and put a hand to his forehead. "I am getting a headache. I'd really been enjoying not having them constantly." He waved off Dedue, who was approaching. "No, I'm alright; I haven't stopped sleeping. I'll ... take a nap before the coronation or something"

Dedue sat next to Dimitri anyway and looked up at the group. "She's not coming, is she?" 

"No," said Mercedes. "I think if I got five creepy proposal notes I would hide in my room and hope they all figured it out without me." 

Dimitri exhaled loudly, not quite a sigh. "Dedue, I am so, so sorry I didn't say something to you ahead of time. We could have avoided this whole situation." 

"No, no." Dedue gave Dimitri one of his tiny wry smiles. "I'm happy you did something for yourself." Dimitri smiled back. 

Well, all right. A room full of depressed people in need of distraction was well within Sylvain's skill set. He went to where his satchel leaned up against the wall and removed a wine bottle and two glasses. 

"Ok. I had originally brought this to share with my new fiancee but that's clearly not happening. We may as well drink it and enjoy the sunrise." He unstoppered the bottle and poured generously into each glass. "Now, you'll have to share," he said, handing one to Ashe and Mercedes. "I wasn't expecting a party." He brought the other glass to Dedue. Sylvain sat and lifted the bottle. 

"I propose a toast to our collective stupidity. To the five fucking idiots of the Blue Lions."

"Sylvain! Language - no, no." Dimitri set his mouth in a small line and gave a tiny nod. "To us fucking idiots." 

"Well, I never," said Ashe, grinning. 

Mercedes clapped. "Oh my. Dimitri letting his hair down!"

Dimitri groaned and flopped backwards. "I can't believe I have to go Be King today after this. I do need a drink." 

"Well, stop leaving me hanging on my toast then!" said Sylvain. "To us."  
Dedue and Ashe and Sylvain all clinked. Mercedes tapped her hand against Ashe's glass. Dimitri sat back up.

Dedue took a drink from the wine glass and held it out to Dimitri. He started to take it, but seemed to notice the delicate crystal and grimaced. "Let me," said Dedue, and held the glass to Dimitri's lips. He blushed sightly. 

Sylvain suddenly felt like he was watching something he shouldn't be privy to. _Really?_ Sylvain took another drink from the bottle and sighed loudly. 

"All right. I'm not going to let this get me down. Maybe I _will_ ask Dorothea out." 

"Will she take you seriously?" asked Ashe. "We've established none of us have the slightest idea how to propose." 

"I will keep asking until she does!" 

"Hm..." Ashe looked around and mischief flashed in his eyes. "Bets on how many times he has to ask?" 

"Double digits, certainly," Mercedes said with _absolutely no hesitation_ , as Sylvain started to complain. 

"Six," said Dedue. 

"I was going to say six!" said Ashe. "All right, I'll say seven. I guess." 

Sylvain opened and closed his mouth several times. _Betrayed by my own friends!_

"Now now, you're all being terribly unfair to Sylvain," said Dimitri. 

Sylvain pointed at him and glared at everyone else. "Thank you, Dimitri-"

"-it can't possibly be more than four," the prince finished. 

"I retract my thanks, _Your Majesty_." 

Dimitri tilted his head and raised his eyebrows. "Ah ah, it's Your Highness for a few more hours." At least he was smiling. 

"Hm, can I raise my bet to eight?" asked Ashe.

"I cannot _believe_ you people," said Sylvain. "I bring you this delightful wine and you roast me mercilessly." 

"It really is lovely wine, Sylvain." Mercedes took another sip and handed the glass back to Ashe. 

Ashe swirled the wine around in the glass. "Mercedes ... I know I'm not as exciting or intimidating as the Professor, but I could go with you to Fhirdiad. I could provide backup, or emotional support." He was gradually speeding up as he talked. "... Not to imply that you need emotional support, or backup really. I know you can defend yourself just fine. But I can put an arrow through someone's throat at a hundred yards and - Oh no, that sounded much less intense inside my head..." 

Mercedes laughed. She had been laughing all morning, but this was extra bright and genuine and Sylvain had _not_ brought enough wine. "Thank you, Ashe. It might be nice not to have to go alone." 

Sylvain stood up and walked over to the window to look at the sky again. _Who did I wrong to deserve this? No, no. Which person that I wronged pushed me over the edge into deserving this? I don't even know who to atone to._ "It is a nice sunrise." 

There was quiet for a minute, broken slightly by whispering between Dimitri and Dedue. Something about plans for the ceremony, certainly. 

"Where's Felix?" asked Mercedes, abruptly. 

"Felix? As in 'Why isn't Felix here with us?'" Sylvain made a face. "He wouldn't do something romantic like this." 

"Mmm, I don't know," said Ashe, looking thoughtful. 

"Please. Felix's first act as duke is going to be allowing marriage to swords in the Fraldarius territories." 

Ashe's eyes widened. "Now that's unfair." 

Sylvain smirked. "He's my best friend. I'm allowed to be a dick to him." A brief pause. "Also he's not here to stab me." 

Dimitri raised his arms and arched his back, stretching with some mildly alarming popping sounds. "He's presumably asleep. It is rather early." 

"He's in the training room," said Dedue. 

"Really?" Sylvain and Dimitri said, simultaneously. 

"Yes. I saw him enter as I was leaving the dorms." 

Ashe tapped his lips. "That makes sense, I suppose. If you're Felix." 

Sylvain shrugged. "All right. Another toast, then. To Felix, who has enough common sense not to be here, but not enough common sense to be asleep." 

"To Felix!" 

And they drank, and watched the sunrise, and thought of other futures. 

\-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Felix pulled back from the kiss, pupils wide, lips parted. "I'm glad you said yes." 

Byleth shook her head, fondly, and leaned her face against his shoulder. "Did you think I wouldn't?" 

"I ... I didn't know if this was just some sort of wartime fling." Felix rubbed the back of his neck with one hand, though he kept the other tight around her waist. 

Byleth pushed herself back to look up at him. "Hey, you're the one who wanted this relationship kept secret!" 

"I didn't want anyone to think that you were favoring me in battle, or that your judgement was compromised. I wanted to protect _you_." Felix frowned, and Byleth could see anxiety and annoyance both move across his face. This happened sometimes - she'd say something and he'd start to panic and get mad he was panicking and - this hadn't been her intention at all. 

"Felix," she said. "Felix, dearest Felix. I love you, and I want to marry you, and if you hadn't proposed _I would have_." She drew her hands down his arms and took both of his hands in hers. She kissed his left ring finger. Felix closed his eyes and breathed out with a sigh. 

Byleth smiled. "Oh, Felix. Look at you. Do you remember when you said you were more comfortable holding a sword than a woman's hand?" 

Felix's eyes snapped open and he started to blush. "I am _not_ apologizing for that again ... And it's _still_ true."

"Still going to make me taste defeat?"

Felix turned his head to the side as his flush continued its advance. "Yes! Repeatedly!" 

Byleth's smile widened. She giggled suddenly. Felix turned back to her. " _what._ "

"Sorry, sorry." She stifled another giggle. "Terrible Sylvain thought." 

Felix rolled his eyes. " _Must_ you bring him up at a time like this?" 

Byleth failed to stifle the next giggle. "I'm sorry! Actually ... you know he left me a note to meet him - well, I think it was him; it wasn't signed but I think it was his handwriting - a note asking me to meet him at the Goddess Tower?" 

"what. why. what." 

"I think he was trying to ask me out. Actually, I got several notes." 

"... several notes. He left you _several notes_?" Felix was obviously breathing faster at this point. 

"No, no! Put your stabbing face down." Byleth gently placed her hands on Felix's chest. "I got notes from several different people. Hm, I hope they weren't throwing some kind of surprise party. I _think_ they were all trying to ask me out..." 

Felix shook his head and wrapped his arms around Byleth again. "Well, thank the goddess I asked you to meet me _here_ ," he said, drily. 

"Well, of course. I can't imagine you wanting to have another conversation up in that tower!" 

" _Ooooo_ kay, we're shutting up now." Felix cut Byleth's laughter off by leaning in to press his lips against hers again. 

And the sun rose, and they kissed, and didn't really think about the future at all. At least not for a little while.

**Author's Note:**

> 1.) This fic brought to you by Felix proposing in the training room, which I laughed so hard at. 
> 
> 2.) This fic also brought to you by how weird it is that female Byleth picking an S rank mostly ... chooses who's going to come propose to you? What?
> 
> 3.) Also also this fic brought to you by the actual pairings I got when marrying Felix (including Sylvain/Dorothea.) 
> 
> 4.) I am so mad this is not actually canon compliant. I really thought it was but I went back and looked and Dedue's S rank conversation is clearly a while after the coronation because Byleth says something like "Why aren't you in Fhirdiad?" Also Dedue's clearly told Dimitri he's going to propose but that wouldn't have worked here.


End file.
